


Something Flashy

by ineedthislikeaholeinthehead



Series: Til Death Do Us Part [2]
Category: American Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Engagement, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 10:50:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3324785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineedthislikeaholeinthehead/pseuds/ineedthislikeaholeinthehead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee can't let Richard get away with getting him pretty jewelry, it's Lee's chance to return the sentiments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Flashy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laurelin (Lintelomiel)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lintelomiel/gifts).



> Oh god, Laurelin!
> 
> You must think I'm a nutso, but you always inspire me to to explore new things! 
> 
> Thank god for comments!

The day after Richard had proposed was a sad one.

Travel was a part of their jobs, but Lee would have loved to have had the weekend together, locked up, down on the farm together, properly celebrating the new development in their relationship.

It wasn't to be, though, and while Richard had definitely spent the morning "making up" for his abysmal proposal, as the day wore on, they both began to drag their feet on the necessary preparation Richard still had to do for his late night flight out of town.

As he lolly-gagged in the bedroom, gloomily folding the shirts Richard would be taking with him, Lee pressed the fabric of one of his favorites to his cheek, already missing Richard, though the other man was just a few feet away, packing toiletries in the adjoining bathroom.

"Lee, have you seen my razor?" He asked, coming out and catching him cuddling. "Oh, come on! I'll only be away a few days, you drama queen!"

"Feels like longer." Lee responded, still hugging the t l-shirt, and shooting Richard the big puppy dog eyes that always melted him. He gave in- but only a little- by walking to him, pulling the shirt out of Lee's hands, tossing it into his open carry-on and holding his face in his hands, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"You'll barely notice I'm gone." He told him. Lee tried for another kiss, and Richard laughed and skirted away from him- he really didn't have the time for the sort of distraction Lee always created. 

"I already notice you're gone, and you haven't even left yet!" He argued and Richard laughed again. 

"I have no doubt you'll find something to distract yourself with whole I'm gone-- who knows? Perhaps you'll even get some actual work done!"

"I will do nothing of the sort." Lee insisted. Richard believed him. Lee was most productive when they were both sitting on the couch, working separately, yet close enough to absentmindedly hold hands or take a quick kiss break. 

Richard finished packing up and left for the car that was waiting downstairs. 

Lee walked him to the door, and Richard gave him one last breathtaking kiss to hold him over, adding the sentiment. "Promise me you'll be good." 

Lee smiles wickedly, "I promise" his lips say, but his eyes told a different story.

As soon as Richard is down the elevator, Lee has got his impish fingers 'round one of the laptops sitting on the counter. 

Richard had grown weary of the consistent need to turn around when they were on their way out of the city because Lee had forgotten forgotten the "right" device, and had set up- and worked hard to train Lee to save everything to their (ultra protected) cloud storage system. 

It had cut down on the times they'd been halfway to the farm and turned around for an iPad or a laptop- but it had also inadvertently doubled the amount of electronics the couple had. 

It was easier to simply keep more devices around than it was to remind Lee to pack up his computer and have it actually happen. And the convenience had gotten to Richard too- when he was on short trips like this, he seldom brought anything other than his phone, knowing that the potential to break or lose something in a hotel room would prove more tedious than it was worth.

But for all of the tech savviness that had gone in to setting up the semi-complicated system that had truly made their complex work and personal lives much easier, Richard had a tendency to forget simple things, like using an an anonymous browser, or at least deleting his history. Which is exactly what Lee was counting on as he booted up Richard's Manhattan laptop, typed in the embarrassingly easy password (Grinner68) and opened up the history. 

It didn't take long to find Jerry, the jeweler who had crafted the stellar ring now on Lee's finger, and as soon as he did, Lee picked up the phone.

After the first few rings, an older man answered the line. "Hello?" He asked. 

Lee was taken by surprise. He was assuming he'd be greeted by a cheery young scheduler who would talk him through the appointment process. "I'm looking for a Jerry?" 

"You've got him. What can I do for you?"

"You're the jeweler on 47th?"

"Well, I'm one of them."

"You recently made a ring for some one very close to me."

"What sort of ring?"

"An engagement ring."

"Yes, I do tend to make those. Did you have an issue with the ring?"

"No! It's absolutely lovely."

"Then you said yes?"

"That's not really pertinent information."

"You'll have to excuse a craftsman his ego- I like to know my work's been well received."

"Very well received. Incredibly well received."

"And it fits well?"

"Incredibly."

"I'm glad to hear it. Congratulations. What can I do for you, Mr. Pace?"

Lee looked at his phone for a minute. His number was unlisted.

"How did you know it was me?"

"I didn't for sure, but I don't make a ring like that every day."

"You don't?"

"It's a lucky day when you get a customer who's so head over heels he's truly willing to spare no expense."

"How would you feel about another customer like that?" Lee asks.

"How would I feel? Blessed- that's how!"

"Can we meet? I'm better in person than over the phone."

"Are you in the city?"

"I am tonight."

"My office or yours?"

"Actually, I'm famished- are you opposed to a dinner consultation?"

"You really cut right to the chase, don't you?"

"I can just bring a sandwich if you'd prefer your office."

"I'm not turning down a free meal." Jerry tells him, and they agree on a restaurant.

When Jerry gets there, a few minutes after Lee's been seated and served a glass of wine, Lee stands up to greet him, extending a hand and welcoming him with a big smile.

"I'm sorry, I know it seems a bit date-y. I just wanted something secluded so we could talk openly."

"Don't apologize for ambiance on my account. It's been many a year since I've been wined and dined by an attractive younger man, I'll take what I can get." Jerry jests, with a wink and a grin. Lee instantly sees why Richard had chosen Jerry, and what superb hands he was in.

"Where's your ring?" He asks, while perusing the bottom of the wine list.

"At home, locked up safely." Lee says. 

Jerry gave him a grimace.

"Just to be clear, you DID say yes?"

"Of course. What's your point?"

"You're not wearing the ring. It's bad juju not to wear it."

"I wore it all day. And it's complicated. Some one could spot it."

"Yes, It does seem like a funny little thing that happens when your lover spends an absolutely exorbitant amount of money on jewelry for you- it gets noticed." God, this guy was a sassy fucker! Lee smiled through a sip of wine.

"Exorbitant amounts of money, huh?" He asked.

"Embarrassingly so." Jerry beams. 

"That's a bit out of character."

"Maybe there are times and people that are worth it." Jerry says, tipping the last of his wine down his throat. "Tell me what you're looking for."

"Something that lets him know he's worth it, too."

"I think this can be arranged." Jerry says, and they get down to business.

A bottle of wine and two full bellies later, Jerry says he has an idea of what Lee's looking for, so the two men part ways for the night and Lee eagerly awaits proofs.

\-----------  
A day later, Lee feels the need to whine. No one but Carl is there to listen, but he whines none the less.

"No, that's not it at all!" He started, staring at the designs for Richard's ring. Carl, being a dog, happily continued licking his balls in blatant disregard for Lee's frustration. Lee picked up the phone.

"Jerry?" He asks as soon as the line is picked up. 

"No, this is his daughter." A young woman's voice responded. 

"He's not in the office right now. Can I take a message?"

"I.. It's a customer. Can I get his cell number?"

"I think he might kill me if I just give it out with out getting a name."

"When will he be back?"

"A few hours."

"Ok. I'll call back then." and, attempting to remember his manners, added "Thank you."

He pouted. Carl still doesn't seem to care, so he set about typing out a response to Jerry, hoping to word it in a way that let him know he doesn't like the design, but still likes Jerry.

Richard is a more confident writer. Lee will happily scroll away when journaling, but when he has to send some one something, he freezes, over analyzing every word he types, reconfiguring paragraphs time and time again. He wished he could just get Richard to explain what was wrong, but it would ruin the surprise. He was hoping for a romantic gesture, which would be ruined if he had to get his fiancee to do the heavy lifting. 

After an hour and a half of crafting his response, he was still nowhere near finished. So he called back. The same woman answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Jerry back?"

"Sorry. He'll be out for another hour or so. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Did you say you were his daughter?"

"Are you the same guy from earlier?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I was a bit... Off."

"Yeah, Jerry's my dad."

"He kind of came off... I guess I didn't think he had kids."

"It's a long story. You said you were a customer. Are you having issues with a piece?"

"Not exactly."

"Ok. Then... You're not like... his boyfriend, are you?"

Lee laughed- He'd called it!

"I don't think I could keep up with him." The voice on the other line laughed.

"So much more than I want to hear." She admitted.

"You're real this daughter though?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Jennifer."

"Ok, Jennifer, will you just get him a message?"

"I'd be happy to."

"Will you tell him Lee wants to talk to him?"

"Will do. Does he have your number?"

Lee hesitates, he didn't know for sure that the voice on the other line was safe, or if she had access to Jerry's records, or how Richard had paid for Lee's ring, and he's a bit paranoid over handing out private information. 

But he's also not sure Jerry has his phone number saved anywhere. So he rattled off the cell phone number and she repeated it back to him.

"Is that an upstate number?" She asks. 

"Errr, it's a cell."

"I'm only making conversation, Lee. I recognize the prefix. I'm a grad student at Syracuse."

"Are you really? How old is Jerry, he's got a daughter in grad school?"

"I told you, it's a complicated story." She laughed and Lee laughed, and he wasn't as nervous about talking to Jerry anymore- her voice and ease reminded him of his own normal emotional comfort zone. Everything would turn out perfect eventually.

"I'll pass along the message for you. Have a great evening, Lee." She says.

"Thanks, Jennifer. You too."

It was only 10 minutes later when Lee got a call back from Jerry.

"I just want you to know, you were interrupting a date."

Lee smiled sheepishly. "How am I supposed to know you're on a date in the middle of the afternoon? You didn't have to call back."

"Sure. I'll just let you keep harassing Jennifer all day instead."

"I wasn't harassing! Did she say harassing?"

"I just assumed."

"We were having a lovely conversation about you."

"I bet. Did you get the designs?"

"Why else would I be calling?"

"Just to brighten my day."

"Go back to your date. I'm sure I can brighten another day for you."

"He was a dud. Tell me what you thought."

"How do I put this?"

"Spit it out, like you're paying me by the hour."

"They're good, but it's not big enough."

"Physically, or emotionally?"

"Either."

"You know who's going to be wearing the ring, right?"

"Yeah, but that's exactly why I want a little flash. Because he would never do it for himself, but he deserves it."

"I'm happy to hear you say that."

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I thought you might be temperamental about notes."

"My business is customer service oriented. I don't get that sort of luxury. And even if I did, it's counter-intuitive. Why the hell do I want to sell you something you don't want?"

"I guess I hadn't thought of it that way."

"You've got other things to think of, I'm sure... Let me give it another- bigger- try, and get back to you, ok?"

"Ok. Sounds good. But Richard's back tomorrow night."

"Oooh, giving me a deadline, huh?"

"Just pertinent information."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks."

And that night Lee opened Jerry's newest design, and was ecstatic- no need for editing or reediting paragraphs this time- he simply hit "reply" and tapped out 'it's perfect!'


End file.
